Angel Jem's City Cottage

Thursday throw up. Doesn't have the same ring but is probably what I do most weeks; throw up my Wednesday Wind up onto the computer in a rush in between sorting out the weekend and finishing off the day. What am I reading this week? The Book of You was unsettling but a good read. I quite liked the ending (no spoilers!!!) but all the way through I was like, why doesn't she just go to the Police???? And I have begun  The Book of Lost and Found . It's good so far, but I have only just started it. A tale of ballet dancers and hidden family secrets. What have I watched this week? We are watching The Following on Pick (I think). It was on Atlantic originally so we couldn't get it, but now I am very happily watching a saga of serial killers based on Edgar Allen Poe, and enjoying watching it with my big boys. At some point I find I'm looking at them and thinking that they are old enough to watch the same TV that we do. Life was easier when they watched Thoma...

Seriously, how easy is it to lose 2 weeks from your life? I feel like I've been in a cave or asleep, or just on another planet, or abducted by aliens. I wrote a blog post, turned around and... wallop... two weeks later I'm back. And this is Wednesday Wind Up again and I can't remember whether anything of consequence has happened or have I spent the time in a work-induced coma. I will do my best. What am I reading this week? The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins. I've only just begun reading this. We're doing it for bookclub the month after this one; so next April, actually. It sounds quite good, I like the whole seeing something off the train/bus/rear window idea and I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops. I'm also reading Demelza  by Winston Graham. It's good fun, and quite reminding me of my (ancient) History O level, which was political history and the Georgians. I like to say I passed my O level on Georgette Heyer, but I think if I...

What am I reading this week? I started reading Stuffocation by James Wallman this weekend. It's not a very long read, but it's an interesting one. It argues that although consumerism is bad (for the debt, the environment and our emotional well-being), the opposite is not actually minimalism (which even Thoreau only kept up for two years) but experientialism, which can involve being a consumer, but a thoughtful one. In other words, we should be seeking to build our intrinsic memory and to be creating our life (in a way that suits us) to make ourselves happy, and not in a 'keeping up with the Jones' way, where we compete to be more or do more because we want to seem more. It makes sense to me, although I have already been through the blog envy," why do they have lots of followers, oh no this is useless I'll never be famous" stage and am now at a "this is where I am. Take it or leave it, I like it and I only write to suit me" stage. What have I ...

You get the Ladies' Spring Dinner. For the past two years our church has held a Ladies' Spring Dinner. A couple of people volunteer to host a table, and others come as guests. There is a lot of thinking, crafting, squirrelling and making that goes on and then one Saturday everybody gets busy. The tables are laid, decorated and prepared. And they are brilliant. Can you spot; the Monopoly table. the Roses table, the Strictly table, the Grand National table, the Love Hearts table, Spring time in Manhattan, Springtime with Pooh, Jam and Jerusalem, the Sewing Bee, Roaring Twenties, Poker Face, Angels, Tiffany Blue, Music, A Scottish Fling or Blue Heaven? Our table (my friend Nicola and me) was called Jam and Jerusalem. We both belong to the Women's Institute so it seemed like a good idea, as well as making table gifts an easy call. Jam, right? The flowers were from two gardens, also WI members, and we mismatched plates, cups, saucers, knives and forks to our hearts cont...

I have been a secret member of an organisation for 6 months now. From 11th February until now.... and now I've decided to go public. Am I a spy? Am I a secret shopper? Do I spend the day listening in to GCHQ? No, it's more esoteric than that. I joined the WI. Woolton now has its own WI, called WOW (Women of Woolton). And I love it. A lovely lady called June set it up, because the waiting list for another local WI was too long. We have 95 signed up members and more waiting for a chance to join. That must show a local need for an organisation whose avowed intent is to inspire women and to campaign for a better world. We need jam and Jerusalem, as well, but the modern WI wants to be involved in the community and I like that avowed intent. So far our meetings have included a talk on a local victorian priest who set up a local care charity , the care and upkeep of bees and how to do felting . The group try to alternate between a crafty cre...